Carrying personal hygiene items such as soap, shampoo, hair conditioners, shaving razors and the like for use while away from home is difficult. With the popularity of health clubs, and the number of persons traveling for business and pleasure, the need for a convenient, simple and practical way to carry soap, shampoo and similar items while away from home is apparent.
Previously, hotels and health clubs have many times provided soap, shampoo and the like to their patrons. This often results in wasting soap as each patron obtains a new bar, and many times a patron is unable to use his or her favorite brand of soap or shampoo. The only previous alternative to this problem is for each patron to bring his own bath accessories. This necessitates bringing a number of bottles, soap containers and the like which is inconvenient and cumbersome.
Prior art devices in this area include the device shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,279 which has a portable rack for holding toiletries. U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,951 discloses a bar of soap or the like including a suction cup structure for affixing the soap to a surface. U.S. Pat. No. 2,457,918 discloses a mesh type basket for holding a bar of soap or the like, the basket being affixed to a wall with a suction cup. U.S. Pat. No. 2,842,893 discloses a soap tray affixed to a wall with suction cups and including a pivoting wire soap rack.
The present invention has significant advantages over those shown in the prior art in that the present invention is extremely portable, and is closable to isolate the contents so the container can be placed directly into a suitcase or gym bag. The present invention is removably affixable to a surface so that the container hangs at a convenient angle for presentation of the contents of the user while allowing moisture which enters the vessel to drain directly through drainage holes. Containers for liquid toiletries and a bar of soap are retained within the vessel because of the angle at which the vessel hangs.
These and other advantages of the invention over the prior art will become more apparent after reading the description and claims which follow.